This is what my life has looked like the past few weeks: traveling around back and forth between North Carolina and Virginia (and briefly, Texas!) Boat rides and long runs and afternoon thunderstorms. Opportunities and disappointments. Possibility and uncertainty. Waiting. Catching up on reading. List-making. (Always list-making.) More waiting. Taking pictures of flowers.

The most exciting news as of late is that we booked a venue and a date for our wedding next spring (!!!), and spent a wonderful, relaxing Easter weekend at home with family.

But mostly, my days are made up of alternately 1) planning way far in advance and 2) trying not to think much about the future in hopes of avoiding panic attacks. I’m reveling in unstructured time (so much reading; so many breakfast sandwiches) and then also loathing it, because truth be told, I am a structure-loving gal at heart.

This is a season of me trying to lean into fear and uncertainty….and succeeding and failing in roughly equal measure.

Months before my fiancé, Chris, and I left on our U.S. road trip, I had this idea for a project.

I wanted to make a video. Kind of like a highlight reel—a way to capture the essence of our trip (and all the different landscapes we saw) and condense it into a quick video to share with family and friends. So, for two months—every day that we were traveling—I made sure to capture at least a few seconds of footage on my iPhone of our view from the road. The idea was to eventually edit it down into one second from each day of our road trip, then put it all together into one final video. Continue reading “Across the country (and back) in 60 seconds”→

A couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to spend a long weekend in Austin, Texas!

Austin has been on my travel wishlist for years. Chris and I originally planned to visit during our cross-country road trip, but we didn’t end up making it there. So when my best friend Megan (who was there for work) asked if I wanted to join her for the weekend, I said, “UM, DUH!”

Austin is known for being the blue dot in a deep red state. Home of the SXSW tech conference and the University of Texas’s flagship campus, it’s also the land of live music and breakfast tacos, street art and food trucks and swimming holes. Austin is, in a word, FUN. 6th street, the main drag that runs through the center of downtown, is lined with bars on both sides—most of which have rooftops and patios opening out to the street, making it feel like one big, never-ending party. (No wonder we saw at least 15 bachelorette parties in matching T-shirts roaming around.) Choosing a place to eat can be overwhelming, with endless options that run the gamut from traditional Texas staples (barbecue) to the trendiest ethnic/organic/local fare. The Colorado river also runs right through the center of the city, and is surrounded by miles of parks that are full of Austinites jogging, paddleboarding, kayaking, biking, swimming, strolling, doing yoga, etc. etc. This is a city that knows how to have a good time.

If you know anything about me, you know that I am OBSESSED with my dog. (Yes, I’m one of those dog people, and I will fly my freak flag proudly.) The truth is, like most aspects of dog ownership, road-tripping with Callie wasn’t always easy—but we wouldn’t have even thought about doing it any other way.

So for anyone who feels the same way and wants to plan a trip of your own, I put together a few tips and suggestions based on we learned from our experience. Whether you’re setting out on an epic adventure or just driving cross-country for a move, hopefully this can help you plan a smooth, stress-free trip for you and your pup!

Of course, with our adventure pup Callie in tow, our options for national park sightseeing were mostly limited to scenic drives and the occasional paved trail—because those are (generally) the only spots where you’re allowed to take dogs. But we simply couldn’t visit the Tetons without a little backpacking action! After researching local kennels, we decided to board Callie for a few days so we could get out in the backcountry.

As for which trail to hike, the choice was obvious: the 19-mile Paintbrush-Cascade Canyon loop. This popular trail circles through the center of the park, cutting into the mountains through Paintbrush Canyon on one side and Cascade Canyon on the other. In between, the trail reaches its pinnacle at the Paintbrush Divide: a 10,700 ft. vista offering a sweeping 360-degree view of the Tetons’ signature rocky peaks.

This is the route, as outlined on the free map that the park provides. Green areas are where camping is allowed (but only on designated sites and with a permit).

It’s been a while since I’ve done a recipe post, so I wanted to pop in today to bring you one of my tried-and-true favorites.

I had thought that posting this recipe now would be a little more timely… but despite the fact that it’s barely March, around here it feels like Spring sprung a while ago. The daffodils all bloomed weeks ago, and the tulip poplars and Bradford pears weren’t far behind. So even though Punxsutawney Phil promised that we’d have several more weeks of winter, it sure doesn’t feel like it.

Nevertheless, in hopes of at least one more cold snap (and one more cozy night by the fire) before we’re into warmer weather for good, I wanted to share one of my absolute favorite recipes. Its backbone is the perfect trio, the three Bs of winter veggies: butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and beets. I tend to make it most in the winter, since that’s when they’re in season—and these hearty, earthy flavors, hot from the oven and brightened up with tangy goat cheese, really hit the spot on a cold night. But, with that said, it’s delicious enough to eat year-round.